May 2013

05/30/2013

It's not quite the end of May, which is the perfect time to release all of the 2013 college football preseason publications.That's right - time to guess who is going to get fired, and who will get their butts kicked by Alabama's semi-pro team in the fake national title game.

Of the many fine preseason publications to consume, a personal favorite remains The Sporting News. This is usually about as good as it gets.

The Sporting News is high on Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Baylor but not so much the TCU Horned Frogs football team. These are the "locals" in TSN's Top 25:

No. 6 Okie State. .... This should make Oklahoma State University team owner T. Boone quite happy.No. 7 Texas A&M. .... Will not sit well with a fan base that has the Aggies undefeated even after it loses to Alabama.No. 14 Texas. .... Because no Top 15 is complete without UT.No. 17 Baylor. .... Wow. They love QB Bryce Petty.No. 19. Oklahoma. .... This changes if Blake Bell can throw a football.

Where is Fort Worth's favorite purple-clad football team? Not in the Top 25, and sixth in the Big 12.

This publication was put together well before TCU suspended Big 12 defensive player of the year Devonte Fields for two games after he violated university/team policy.

It's worth nothing the magazine says of the Big 12: "The next big thing: In TCU's recent history of elite defensive ends, none has the potential and physical ability of Devonte Fields, one of the Big 12's best pass rushers as a freshman last year."

Take some of these publications with a chunk of salt, up to and including the preseason Top 25.

After all, this magazine says that TCU's Trevone Boykin is the best running quarterback in the Big 12. Not bad for a guy who averaged 3.3 yards per carry.

Randy says you trade Jurickson if you must, but this is where Randy is wrong. The Rangers have more leverage and don't need to include him as part of the trade.

Randy's point is when you are in a position you go for it, which is why the Rangers once trade Blake Beaven and Justin Smoak to Seattle a few years ago to acquire Lee. The same for dealing pitcher Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis to Baltimore from reliever SomethingOrOther Uhura.

The Phillies are going to want a lot because they need able young bodies, but right now their primary concern is dumping Lee's massive contract; the Phillies are on the hook for $62.5 million after this season.

The Rangers have leverage in that they will be doing the Phillies a solid by taking that contract off their books. Make no mistake, the Phillies' primary mission is not prospects as much as it is making huge contracts go away.

The Phillies want that money gone? Fine. Take your pick among this array of young, cheap, talented players not named Jurickson Profar.

The conventional baseball logic is a prospect, regardless of how many stars are next to his name, is just that. He is an unproven player. Profar is only 20, and every single sign says he's got it. That's why the Phillies want him.

The Rangers need another stud starting pitcher to make a go at the World Series, which Lee would do, but the Phillies need to dump Lee's massive contract is greater.

Which is why you don't trade Jurickson Profar as part of a deal for Cliff Lee - you don't have to.

It cannot be a coincidence that in Floyd Mayweather's last fight the pay per view buys were so low that in his next fight he agrees to fight a fighter that will guarantee massive viewership. Thank you, Showtime.

Floyd "Money" Mayweather announced on the Twitter thingy that he will fight Canelo Alvarez in September in a fight that should generate massive international interest.

Mayweather Tweeted: "I chose my opponent for September 14th and it’s Canelo Alvarez. I’m giving the fans what they want."

Actually, I'd rather see Manny Pacquiao/Mayweather but that's gone.

Mayweather/Alvarez is the next best thing, so here we go. The fight will be on Sept. 14 in Mayweather's "home arena" at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Not sure Alvarez is ready for an opponent of this caliber - his conditioning is going to have to be better and he's going to have to fight more than 60 seconds per round.

A massive star in his native Mexico, Alvarez got fat (42-0-1) against a slew of guys whom you've never heard of, or were done. It wasn't until he scored a unanimous decision against Austin Trout in San Antonio last month had he defeated an opponent that suggested maybe he can do this.

Mayweather, meanwhile, is up to 44-0 after he hand-picked his way through a pack of opponents he knew would merely be grateful to eat just a tiny sliver of his green and white cake. None of the guys he has fought for years were much of a threat.

His last fight against Robert "Ghost" Guerrero was so boring and so one-sided most people fell asleep.

Alvarez is a threat. He's young, hungry, and can punch.

The question now is can Alvarez not get frustrated by arguably the best punch dodger the sport has ever seen, and manage to land a few serious shots against a fighter who never gets hit.

Canelo didn't land as many punches as Trout, but he landed a higher number of quality shots. It would be fascinating to see what would happen if Mayweather actually does take a shot and he would respond.

My fear is the timing of this fight is not ideal; Mayweather is still at the very end of his prime window, while Alvarez is likely not in his yet.

Regardless, Alvarez had to take this fight as did Mayweather. Even he realized that he no longer could roll out the equivalent of Southern Savannah State and tout it as a worthy opponent.

05/29/2013

This seems impossible to comprehend now, but there was a time when Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels made a dumb trade. It was the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, when gas was afforable and when we could turn on the TV without watching a singing talent show.

No, I'm not talking about the Adam Eaton deal.

On Dec. 23, 2006 Daniels thought he pulled one on Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams when he sent left-handed prospect John Danks for righty Brandon McCarthy. There were some others involved in the deal, but those two pitchers were the primary components.

McCarthy could never stay healthy when he arrived with the Rangers, while Danks developed into a decent starter.

McCarthy (2-3, 4.36) is scheduled to face the Rangers at Rangers Ballpark tonight as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In three seasons with the Rangers, McCarthy was 13-15 with a 4.68 ERA in 221 innings. He was not re-signed after 2009 season.

The thought was that at 6-foot-7, 200 pounds he could not stand up to the pounding of a 35-game start type of season. That he was pretty good, but not durable.

But then he "found it" with the Oakland Athletics where in two seasons he was 17-15 with a 3.29 ERA. He signed with Arizona in the offseason.

Danks, meanwhile, was a pretty consistent innings eater from 2007 to 2011. He made at least 26 starts in all five of those seasons; he was at his best from '08 to '10 when he was 40-31 with an ERA in the 3s every season.

Last season was the first time he was a total dud; Danks suffered a season ending shoulder injury in May of last season, and is only now about ready to return.

Danks has been the better pro while McCarthy just has not been able to string it together for long enough to say that Daniels didn't whiff on this one.

IRVING, Texas - Dez Bryant is No. 1, Miles Austin is on notice as the No. 2, while rookie Terrence Williams is No. 3.

Where is the love for Dwayne Harris ? (If you want to follow him on Twitter, he's @D_Harris17)

Harris is 25, and entering his third year where he has become a quite the football player on the football field in the National Football League. He was a sixth round pick out of East Carolina three years ago, and has signs of maturing into a good No. 3/slot receiver. At least more than Kevin Ogletree, whom the Cowboys did not bring back.

The third year is usually the time if a guy is going to "get it" he "gets it", and the safe play is to think Mr. Harris is there. But we won't know if he is all the way there if the Cowboys quit asking him to return punts.

Harris made a name for himself last season as a punt returner. It put him on the field, he returned one punt for a touchdown, and put the Cowboys in favorable field position countless times with solid returns.

Ask any WR/punt returner and they'll tell you they want to do both because it means more playing time. But any player in that position will gladly give up punt returning duties because it means the team values them more as a receiver than as a returner.

"That's a question for Dez," Harris told me on Tuesday. "It's the same for (Bryant)."

The Cowboys used their prized No. 1 receiver as a returner for a while until it was decided not to risk any injury. It didn't help that Dez was a bit of a wildcard when he did it.

The trick for Harris is to catch everything when the ball is thrown his way, and make plays when either Austin or Dez go down. At the least he needs to stay in front of Terrance Williams.

"Every year you do fight for your job because every year they're always drafting the next guy," Harris said. "I know I took a step forward last year and I'm trying to improve on that. I'm a good return guy and I like returning kicks."

At 5-foot-11, Harris is not physically suited to be a top threat on the outside. Terrance Williams is 6-2, and can do that.

What Harris should be able to is be an upgrade over Ogletree as the No. 3, at least, and return punts. If the Cowboys are using him as a receiver, and ask him top stop returning punts, then he should feel much safer.

Most of you don't care about softball, but you know Jennie Finch. Do you know she played softball, and did other things other than be a pretty blonde female athlete who has posed for magazines? Who knew?

Finch is now a mother of three, and keeps herself busy being Jennie Finch. Let's be real - she can be busy being Jennie Finch because she's pretty, and not stupid. There is not another softball player alive who can market herself the way she can because no other softball player has ever looked like her.

Look how far we've come!

Sincerely, she is a decent, candid and professional woman who has represented herself and her sport very well.

Finch is now gracing the cover of Country Woman magazine (my subscription ran out), recently completed a marathon, and is now actively trying to get softball and baseball back into the Olympics.

The Big Mac Blog: What are you busy with these days? Jennie Finch: Well, busy being a mom and raising three kids. That's most of my time but I do other things, too. I did my first marathon not too long ago. And right now I am really trying to work on getting softball and baseball back into the Olympics.

The Big Mac Blog: Do you think we'll see baseball/softball back into the Olympics?Jennie Finch: I know we have a big challenge ahead of us. My hope is that it's in; I'm not going to give up on it until we get the final word. I don't know - there is so much that goes on internally that we don't know about. Our campaign is a very good fight.

The Big Mac Blog: You mentioned the marathon; what did you learn in the process of training for it and completing it?Jennie Finch: So much of it is mental. If you look at runners they are all different shapes, ages and sizes. It's incredible. And I think the comraderie of training together, which I really did enjoy. Having a workout partner is great. You don't want to let them down so you are there in the morning. You have those goals and it's great to do it together with someone. I thought, 'I don't have any excuses' when I looked at some the people doing this. Amputees, people who have dealt with weight, or other things. They are running. And there is nothing better than pushing your body because it's so incredible to see what you are capable. It's fascinating for me.

The Big Mac Blog: Another subject - despite the advances of women in sports and the opportunities that exist, do you feel that the female athlete is judged by her appearance? Jennie Finch: Obviously there are a lot of barriers and hurdles we have to overcome. I know we have come a long, long ways. Those barriers are being knocked down. There are still plenty of room to grow in that area. I think the attention from the physical appearance away the athletic feat still very much exists. To me, I wanted what I did to stand on its own. But I think one of the great things about women in sports is the diversity and there is a little bit of everything. I can appreciate that and admire that.

The Big Mac Blog: If you could draw your ideal for women in sports in the U.S. what does it look like? Jennie Finch: For equal opportuinity and for the support to be there. It's there. We have the WNBA and soccer is getting back up there. There are fans there. The softball College World Series is breaking records, and games are on TV now. We have to find that platform for other women. We need to appreciate how far we've come but have a long ways to go.

The Big Mac Blog: Thanks so much and hope things keep going well for you.Jennie Finch: Thank you so much; I appreciate it.

05/28/2013

IRVING, Texas - DeMarco Murray didn't bristle or change facial expressions, but he does not agree with the label a reporter used to help phrase a question:

"DeMarco, you're injury prone," the reporter said on Tuesday at Dallas Cowboys' OTAs.

You may as well call the guy a loser. Jocks normally hate being called injury prone.

"I wouldn't say I'm injury prone at all," said Murray, who is being held out of some of the Dallas Cowboys' OTAs because of a hamstring thingy. "I'm just trying to be smart about it."

He's not injury prone? Hmm ... what's a delicate way to say this? He is. Murray played in 13 games as a rookie in 2011 and in 10 games in 2012. That generally means he is injury prone.

I asked him if the tag bothers him.

"No, it doesn't bother me. I can't control that or anything that happens," Murray said.

As a freshman in '07, he missed OU's final three games.In '08, he missed the final two games, including the national title game.In '09, he appeared in every game but one.In '10, he played in every game.

Murray is basically right on the line of injury prone. It's always something, and you're always holding your breath when he clears the pile it's not a toe, foot, ankle or knee.

He needs to play 15 or 16 games this season to prove he is indeed not injury prone.